A Second Chance
by NicoV
Summary: When she saw the innocent looking boy with the dimples, she hesitated to help him and eventually left him to die. Now, over 30 years later, Rosalie is still reluctant to find her mate, disgusted and disappointed with herself after the way she left Emmett. Although a young, broken soldier returning home from war who intrigues her may be all she needs to learn how to love again.
1. Prologue

**As y'all know by my other story, I love OCs! There's endless possibilities with OCs and I got this idea a few days ago and wanted to start writing it. I know it's ambitious and not that good (I think?) to be writing two stories at once, but I will continue to update both! I will try to update 'An Obstinate Addition' every other Sunday starting next Sunday and this story every other Thursday . All depending how busy I am with school and basketball, which means I may not be able to stick to a schedule. So, I apologize if you were looking forward to more consistent updates of my other story or whatever, but I think you guys will enjoy this one too! I hope :p**

 **Favorites, follows, and reviews are appreciated!**

-Rosalie's POV, 1935-

 _I halted to a stop abruptly, satisfied with the distance I made from the house. I gazed to the sky above me, seeing the sun shining bright whilst there were only a few clouds in the sky. If I wasn't so thirsty, perhaps I would've stayed a bit, sat in a tree somewhere to enjoy the sun._

 _I smelled bears nearby, which meant I was deep within this unknown forest I was currently in, in some unknown state. I was probably a few hundred miles away from Carlisle, Esme, and Edward. The thought brought a smile of relief, as my distance meant that my thoughts were safe from Edward._

 _Now I could curse at them freely._

 _Well, not curse. That's a bit harsh._

 _Now I could...think about other things without them having to worry._

 _I didn't want to curse them; at least not anymore._

 _Two years ago I wanted to, and did so almost every day._

 _However, my stubbornness and bitterness towards them has slowly started to subside, as I think I have finally truly come to accept them._

 _It was either truly accept them or be alone, and I couldn't bare the latter._

 _There was no way I could handle myself alone with humans. I was still relatively young, although not a newborn. That didn't matter, though, since I had nowhere near the same self-control as Esme, Edward, or Carlisle._

 _Not to mention that I would not be comfortable in a new coven. Although I was still a bit upset at Carlisle for changing me and destroying any authentic humanity I had within me, he was my creator and I felt this innate bond with him. Not to mention that the three of them were vegetarians, which was I wanted to be._

 _If I were to be stuck in this life for all eternity, I was not going to hunt humans and risk doing this same deed to them._

 _My thoughts were interrupted, my nose crinkling up as I caught an appetizing scent. This scent was not bear...it was something else, something even more delicious._

 _I felt my stomach drop a little when the scent was followed by an agonized scream of pain._

 _My feet moved without my permission; headed towards the scent and screams._

 _I had found the source within less than a second, and the scene was grim._

 _A man before me was being attacked by a large grizzly bear. I froze, simply watching the scene before me and listening to his screams._

 _Those eventually drowned out as I focused on his face; on his features._

 _He was large. Not simply muscular and above an average height, but from the looks of it, he was extremely sturdy and tall. His dark hair was a curly, sweaty mess. His forehead showed even more sweat, as well as some blood, and my eyes trailed down to his cheeks. Dimples were present upon his cheeks, as he was wincing in pain from the bear on top of him, mauling him. He was a stranger, yet for some reason, his innocent face and boyish features reminded me of someone I once knew._

 _I felt my mouth slightly open in awe as it came to me._

 _Henry; Vera's little son._

 _Oh, yes—Henry! Oh how I missed him and Vera…_

" _Someone!" the man in front of me cried, his voice breaking. "Please! Help!"_

 _He had yet to see me. How could he see me? He was obviously preoccupied with trying to pry the hungry, angry beast atop him off, but was failing miserably._

 _The smell of his blood filled my nose and my mouth watered, venom running down the sides of my inner cheeks. My throat burned: bad._

 _As bad as my first few minutes as a newborn. My instincts and throat compelled me to move forward, to taste his blood. He was in front of me, already dying. All I had to do was get rid of the bear, and then he was all mine…_

 _My little bit of humanity, however, compelled me to do something else._

 _I was a vampire; I could travel extremely fast and could carry anything—even this large man before me. I could take him to Carlisle within seconds, Carlisle would change him, he would…_

 _He would become just like me._

 _If I took this familiar stranger to Carlisle and asked him to change him, Carlisle would not try to talk me out of it. That I knew. He would just do it. Without a single moment of hesitation, Carlisle would bite this man and subject him to even more pain._

 _Who was I to make this decision for him? To turn him into the monster that I was once turned into? To ruin his life?_

 _My feet were planted to the ground as I watched the man in front of me continue to get torn apart. Each scream brought me back to my transformation, to my own screams; I flinched each time the man in front of me cried out._

 _I wanted to look away, to stop watching this brutal execution. On the other hand, I couldn't. I couldn't look away from the man's pained face. It was too similar to Henry's for my gaze to break. This moment was almost bittersweet to me; I was watching this poor man get mangled by this bear, but this was a moment of remembrance for me. Of the life I used to have._

 _I felt a ping of guilt for being selfish—using this man's suffering to remind myself of my own life, but quickly pushed the guilt away. It would be more guilty if I were to bring him to Carlisle and trap this man in eternity forever._

 _I almost took a step forward, thinking that maybe he would take it well. Maybe this familiar stranger before me would be alright with this life._

 _But I stopped myself; I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he wasn't alright with this life. I didn't want to do to him the thing that made me so cold and bitter._

 _I had to plug my nose after a few seconds of watching this, as the smell was becoming too much for me to handle. His screams only continued and I became angry—why was this taking so long? How long does it take for an imprudent bear to end a life? I can easily take down a deer in less than five seconds._

 _I sighed, stopping myself._

 _I suppose this was better than Carlisle changing him. That would be a three day process to end his life._

 _I almost took a step forward again, tempted to end the man myself. If I couldn't bring him to Carlisle, why not just end it quicker for him?_

 _However, I knew that if I got close to the man with the appetizing human scent, I don't know if I'd be able to control myself._

 _The man screamed for help again, causing me to flinch again. I continued to watch the gruesome picture in front of me; the bear was not letting up and the man's agony was only increasing._

 _I fidgeted, the itch to want to bring him to Carlisle returning and causing my face to scrunch up in pity._

 _Alright, oh goodness, alright._

 _I was going to bring him to Carlisle. This man would survive the trip, we would be there in almost no time. He had already been here, being attacked by the bear, for a minute or so. He would survive another few minutes._

 _I would tell Carlisle about how I find him and beg him to change the man. Not that I would need to beg; Carlisle would do it without the pleading. But I would be so frantic and shook up that I would beg desperately, maybe causing Carlisle to act faster than he normally would, making sure that he would save the familiar stranger in time._

 _Sure, the man would be in pain for a few days, but I wouldn't leave his side. I'd stay with him, caress his soft cheek, run my thumb over where his dimple was, and calmly explain what was happening to him. Maybe he would listen, maybe he wouldn't, but it wouldn't matter. Once he changed, I'd explain again—like Carlisle did for me._

 _I would take this man on his first hunt. Perhaps we'd come back here and get some revenge on nearby bears. Hopefully, we wouldn't come across any humans._

 _I smiled at my thoughts, his screaming drowning out once again as I thought of the possibilities with this man._

 _It was decided, then._

 _I focused back to reality, hearing the man's screams again, and tried to walk forward._

 _My legs wouldn't move, however._

 _I was stuck. I once again felt completely planted in the ground. My mind was made up, I now wanted to help this man._

 _Nevertheless, I still couldn't move._

 _My mind was made up, but my humanity now had a different stance on the situation._

 _This was selfish. A pure, selfish act._

 _If I were to bring him to Carlisle, it would be the most self-absorbed act I would ever make._

 _I couldn't do it. This man; he wouldn't be able to consent. He was only focused on the bear on top of him. Anything I said to him would simply go in one ear and out the other._

 _If I could cry, I know I would be bawling right about now due to the situation._

 _There was no way to win. No matter what I chose, there was a con to it._

 _However, if I chose to not help this man, at least I could say I wasn't selfish._

 _My feet finally moved, but only when I moved to turn around. My back turned, I walked forward; headed in the opposite direction of the familiar stranger and his attacker. The screams were still present and they caused my to shudder. In response, I ran forward, putting as much distance between myself and the scene that caused me such headache. I could still hear the screams which only forced my body to strain harder, running even faster. I didn't dare stop and turn around, knowing that if I did, I would want to bring the man to Carlisle._

 _It seemed like hours, although it was a few minutes, before I reached the house. My swarm of thoughts must have been heard by Edward a minute or so ago, since Carlisle was waiting for me when I returned home._

" _What's wrong?" He asked, his voice dripping with concern and his brows slanted in worry._

" _Nothing," I mumbled, brushing past him and heading inside. He quickly followed behind me and sighed._

" _Rosalie, Edward told me you were worried about a young man," he said and I stifled the urge to groan, my eyes darting towards Edward. He was standing in the dining room, watching. "Where is he?"_

" _It's nothing. He was just a human I found while hunting," I said, my throat still burning. I didn't even feed while I was out. I was too caught up with..._

 _I looked to Edward again, his eyes carefully on me. He was reading my thoughts right now._

" _Is he ok?" Carlisle asked._

" _Yes," I lied shortly._

" _No he's not," Edward interjected._

" _Stay out of my head!" I hissed at him, my anger beginning to simmer._

 _Carlisle put a hand softly on my shoulder, rubbing it lightly. "Rosalie, if you want-" he started, but I stopped him quickly._

" _No," I said, pointing a finger dangerously at him. "I'm not going to do that to him."_

" _You know I would for you," Carlisle said, his eyes docile and worried. "Maybe it would be good for you to...have someone."_

 _I stared at Carlisle for a little bit, my throats beginning to tighten in a different way. It was no longer tight due to thirst; it was tight due to my somberness._

" _No," I repeated, choking out the word with difficulty. "I may not be able to change what happened to me, but I can change what happens to other. I'm not going to make someone into this!" I shouted, motioning to all of us, including Esme, who had appeared next to Edward when she heard the commotion. I left them abruptly, going to my room and shutting it behind me with force._

 **A/N: I'm probably going to update this chapter to make it a bit more descriptive and a little longer, but I just wanted to get out the first chapter to see if you guys would like it or not. Please give feedback, thanks!**


	2. The Set Up

**Sorry guys I have been SUPER busy the past few weeks so I apologize for not updating. I thought I would be able to update consistently but I am a fool and I won't be able to do so lol. But please, I hope you enjoy this chapter and leave a review/fav/follow if you enjoy. Thanks :)**

-Rosalie's POV, 33 years later-

"And I already have the perfect gift planned for him," Alice sighed happily, clutching her hands towards her chest in an excited, almost childish way. I rolled my eyes a bit, turning the wheel and parking the car in an empty spot.

"Which is?" I asked, putting the car into park and silently hoping for an idea, as I had no clue on what to get Jasper for his birthday.

I snorted internally at the word.

His _birthday_.

There was no need to celebrate those anymore; I had been content with not celebrating mine anymore, as was the rest of the family. However, when Alice and Jasper joined our family, Alice always insisted on celebrating our birthdays in place of her own. She remembered nothing of her human life—not even her own birthday.

I was jealous of her inability to remember.

"I am not telling you!" she chirped with a laugh. "I don't need you stealing any ideas."

I repressed a growl and just cleared my throat, finding it nearly impossible not to roll my eyes again.

Despite her constant cheriness that I found very hard to swallow, she was a great addition to the family; as well as Jasper. They were both polite, friendly, and got along with the rest of us. The first few weeks were a bit tough, though.

I found Alice's high spirits and nearly nonstop pep to be _extremely_ annoying. It seemed as if she could only see the good in everything and, although she was older than me, I was more mature than her. She was much too trusting of us, embracing Carlisle in a warm hug the first time she met all of us. She showed no fear, no hesitation, no...anything...besides cheer and friendliness when she met me, Carlisle, Esme, and Edward. I, on the other hand, didn't truly trust and come to accept my 'family' until a year or two after my transformation. Her naivety, I suppose, wasn't her fault. Like I said, she couldn't remember anything and the first thing she saw as a vampire was a vision of Jasper—the love of her life. In her first moment as a vampire, she already had her life practically planned out and it was a positive one. Jasper as her mate; me, Esme, Carlisle, and Edward as her family. There was no reason for her to be upset or cautious, which angered and bothered me beyond belief.

Jasper, on the other hand, was the near opposite of Alice.

While she was giggling and hugging all of us during our first encounter, he was lingering in the back: his stance rigid and his teeth slightly bared, a rumbling growl coming from inside of him. Alice was a bit embarrassed by his behavior and told us all about his difficult past, which easily explained why he was so cautious. She assured us he was friendly and safe to be around. Carlisle, Esme, and even Edward seemed to be slightly intimidated by him and tried to be as friendly and gentle with him as possible. Meanwhile, I wasn't afraid of him. I had dealt with _much_ worse when I was _human_.

Jasper, when I first met him, was the least of my fears.

After a few weeks, they finally truly settled in and, although the rest of my family accepted them almost immediately, I just started to accept them in those few weeks after our first encounter.

Jasper and I had formed a close bond and I even disclosed to him about how I wasn't afraid of him when we first met. That made him smile and he told me he respected me a lot more once I shared that with him.

Alice and I also became close, sharing a large interest in fashion. She was truly like a sister to me, although I felt as though she was like a younger one rather than an older one. She was too happy all the time and that made her seem like she was younger than me.

Maybe that was another thing I envied in her; her ability to be delighted with her current situation.

"Are you getting him a book?" I questioned, not knowing why it took me long to guess, as she wanted to go to the town bookstore today. It was drizzling, which meant we were free to be in public. I exited the car, as did Alice, and locked it behind me before we started to walk towards the entrance.

"Nope," she answered oddly. I raised an eyebrow to her peculiar expression. Her lips were bent in a bizarre way, almost as if she was trying to prevent a smile.

I knew that look; that look of her trying to fight her smile away and trying to force a giggle down her throat. I had known her for years and spent much time with her—she was hiding something. I didn't know what or why she was hiding it from me, but she was excited about something and I had no idea what she was so excited for.

When we walked in, she read the confusion on my face and quickly forced a frown. "I just needed some books for myself, but maybe a book _would_ be a good gift for Jasper." She raised an eyebrow of her own as I stared at her, considering her idea. However, her poor joke ruined my thoughts. "Maybe he'd like a cookbook," she snickered, her devious smirk appearing again as she nodded towards the section designated for cuisine guides. I curled my lip at the joke and she laughed, going over to another section. I groaned and looked back to where she nodded, staring longingly at the cookbook section.

I'm not entirely sure what compelled me to head over there, as I had no reason to be in that area, but I still went and browsed the shelves.

Grand Rapids, Michigan was a fairly large city, which meant there were many options offered. All types of cuisine lined the shelf, ranging from Italian to Mexican and even some Eastern European dishes; all of which I found extremely displeasing to the eye. The thought of eating any of that food disgusted me.

 _Another_ thing about being a vampire that irritated me. Human food looked, smelled, and felt absolutely nauseating.

 _Another_ thing that made me feel less human.

I would try to remind myself what it was like to be human every once in awhile, even decades after being changed. I'd sometimes drive to go hunting when I knew I could run, I would lie down every now and then and close my eyes in an attempt to sleep when I knew I couldn't, and I would sometimes try human food when I knew I hated it and I knew I would have to cough it up later.

I subtly glanced up, scouring the room for Alice. I found her in the nonfiction section, looking intently at the shelves, clearly searching for something with focus. I murmured angrily to myself, not wanting to bother her and instead grabbed the Eastern European book, flipping mindlessly through the pages to pass the time.

A fresh, mouth-watering scent filled my nose before I even felt someone behind me and my eyes darted up, noticing someone looking over my shoulder. There was also the whiff of a fancy aftershave, but the smell of his blood was much more profound.

And much more appealing.

"Hm," a husky voice said. "Borscht?" I looked to the page I was currently on, seeing a picture of a red beet soup on the page, as well as directions on how to make it. "Didn't peg you for a Communist."

The man behind me laughed and I shut the book, turning around to face him.

He was quite breathtaking—if it was even possible for my breath _to be_ taken away.

He had an athletic build and was fairly tall. A sharp chin that was free of facial hair and he gave a smile, revealing white teeth.

A smile of purity. Of innocence.

I quickly found myself searching for dimples on his cheeks, but to no avail.

He wasn't like the man I...the man I left in the forest.

His hair was voluminous and combed back, a medium brown coloring it. His eyes were the color of the sky outside; grey with a hint of blue.

His outfit was simple but stylish; a black sweater with a green polo that peeked out of the top of his sweater. Blue jeans that fit him perfectly and white shoes to finish his selection of clothing.

"Y'know, technically I'm not supposed to talk to Commies," he said quietly, placing a hand on the shelf and leaning casually. His smile was too relaxed; too nonchalant; too...confident.

It angered me—the fact that he wasn't nervous when talking to me. He was very attractive, of course, but I was _much_ more attractive than he was.

Not to mention my style was better too.

I found myself looking back up to his eyes, searching for any kind of intimidation within them; and kind of hesitancy. However, I still found nothing. Nothing but pure confidence in those cadet grey eyes.

He winked. "But I guess I can make an acception for you."

"I'm not a Communist," I declared, my voice firm in an attempt to combat his much too comfortable tone. He laughed, his eyes lighting up.

I struggled to keep from becoming angry again.

His laughter was not one of nervousness or anxiety in an attempt to calm himself while in the presence of indescribable beauty that was _me_.

His laughter was light and friendly...bold, too.

"Only a pinko would be looking at a recipe for borscht," he tilted his head, his symphonic laughter dying down.

"I'm not a Communist," I repeated sternly.

Not only was I angry that he was too brave in my presence of pure beauty, but he was calling me a Communist. I remembered how they were viewed in the 50s: vile, conniving, almost snake-like. I was _not_ going to be viewed as one of them.

"Alright," the man nodded, putting his hands up in surrender, his arm returning to the shelf. "I _think_ I believe you. But, to prove yourself, how about you meet me for breakfast this Saturday?"

"How does going to breakfast with you prove I'm not a Communist?" I hissed, my bitterness remaining stagnant as I saw no falter in his fearless demeanor.

"Only a Communist," he said, keeping his voice low as he spoke. "Would never show up to breakfast date with an American. If you don't show…" He eyed me, looking me from up to down, and then back up, shrugging and clicking his tongue. "I'll have to assume the worst."

"The worst being that I'm a Communist?" I asked, feeling my rigid body relax slightly as he released another laugh of silk.

"That's right," he said, flashing his teeth again and nodding to me.

His smile made my eyes soften and for a second, I considered accepting his offer just out of curiosity. Sure, he was cute and it would be a nice way to figure out more about this man and why he was so unusually confident.

But, as he maneuvered, adjusting his arm on the shelf right to the side and above of me, a fresh wave of his aftershave mixed with his human scent made my stomach twist in an unpleasant way.

Was I really considering going on a date with a _human_?

I internally shook my head, a certain joy filling my body after I decided I was going to reject this man.

He was much too confident this entire time, but the moment I rejected him, surely he would squirm in an uncomfortable and embarrassed way. He would be humbled; he would realize that I was much too beautiful for him to be so bold and he would walk away from me—ashamed, with his tail between his legs.

I straightened myself out and put on my best look of disappointment as I could.

"I'm sorry," I started. "I-"

"She'll be there!" Alice piped up, appearing on my other side. She put an arm around me and gave a beaming grin to the man before me. "This is Rosalie and she will _definitely_ meet you for breakfast. And you are, handsome?"

"Kenneth," he said, giving me another perfect smile and removing his arm from the shelf, reaching it out to me. I reluctantly shook it and he nodded to me. "See you Saturday, then, Rosalie. Bristow's Diner, 7:30."

He turned and left the book aisle, heading to another part of the bookstore. I waited patiently until he had his back completely turned before locking Alice's wrist in an iron-tight grip and dragging her towards the door with me.

"Wait, Rose I have to pay for these books," she protested as we neared the door. "Rosalie-"

I abruptly turned back and knocked the books out of her arm with my free hand and continued leading her towards the door, pushing through it once we reached it and still gripping her wrist as we headed to the car.

I was fuming and was so close to flipping her over and slamming her into the car. I was ready to reject the man, ready to humiliate him and his stupid air of confidence that seemed to leak out of every pore. That stupid air of confidence that never faltered the entire time he spoke to me. That _stupid air of confidence_ that seemed to leak from every pore of his.

"Ouch, what?!" Alice shrieked, rubbing her wrist once I let go.

"Why did you do that?!" I yelled, but lowered my voice once a few nearby people looked over to see what the commotion was. I bit my lip as I glanced over at them and got in the car, Alice doing so as well. I clenched the wheel tightly, feeling it creak under my hands from the immense amount of pressure I was applying to it.

"Do what?" Alice asked and I rolled my eyes at her failure to see the obvious reason I was upset with her. "Accept that date for you? Why"

"Because I…" I started to say, but stopped. What was I going to tell her?

 _Because, Alice, I am so vain that I would rather see a man interested in me humiliated by my hand than suck up my own pride and try to date him_.

"Because I'm not interested in dating," I said, which was a half lie I supposed.

"Oh, please," Alice scoffed, waving me off. "Edward told me you were, he can hear you thinking about the possibilities of having a mate _all the time_."

"Yes—a mate, Alice," I growled, giving in and not denying her claim. I did want a mate, but I wasn't sure if I was ready for one. Not after the man in the woods. "Not a _human_!"

"It'll be fine!" She said, brushing me off again. "Trust me—he's super nice. You guys will have a great time Saturday."

I tilted my head, fidgeting at her comment. What _would_ happen if I were to go?

By curiosity grew, but I forced it down with a frown. "Who says I'm going?" I grumbled, putting the car into reverse and pulling out of the spot as I looked backwards.

"You're going, I already know," she shrugged nonchalantly. "I've known since last week."

I felt my face freeze as I stopped the car, half of it still in the spot. "What?" I asked, looking to her and awaiting her answer.

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "I've known about all this since last week." I continued to stare at her as she flickered a confused look in my direction and pointed to herself. "I can see the future, Rose."

I shook off her sarcasm of the obvious fact that she could see the future and lowered my voice. "This was the reason you wanted to come to the bookstore, wasn't it?" I asked, my voice low and dangerous as my anger returned. She just raised her shoulders a little and that was my answer. I felt my hands tighten around the wheel even more and, one second later, the wheel snapped, the top of it shattering as that's where my hands were. I ignored the broken wheel and shot daggers at Alice. "You set this whole thing up!"

"I just wanted to help, Rose!" she argued defensively, her eyebrows slanted up in care and concern. "And I actually _did_ want some books but you forced me out of the store before I could buy them," she mumbled, crossing her arms and turning to the front, no longer facing me. I bit my tongue, shaking my head at her and placing my hands on the bottom of the wheel, finally pulling fully out of the spot as put the car in park.

Who was she to mettle in my love life and purposely set this up?

I took a deep, quiet breath as I calmed down. I knew she just wanted to help and meant well, but it still irritated me nevertheless that she felt she needed to intervene and help me. I wasn't a child; quite the opposite, actually. I could find my own dates and I suppressed a growl at the thought of me going on this date after she basically set it up for me.

Once again, I was going to allow my proud self to remain that way, even against Alice's attempts.


End file.
